Developing neural markers of arousal regulation and attention in ADHD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing neural markers of arousal regulation and attention in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): an exploratory investigation of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine brain system
IRAS ID
281490
Contact name
Madeleine Groom
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
People diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) sometimes find it harder to focus and adapt their attention than people without ADHD. We want to find out why people with ADHD have these difficulties so that we can try to better understand their condition. A small region in the brain called the Locus Coeruleus (LC) plays an important role in arousal. Arousal is how alert or sleepy we feel. In order to focus our attention on something, we need to change our arousal levels. Arousal might not always be at the right level in people with ADHD. We are interested in studying the LC brain region to see how it might be different in ADHD and see whether any differences can help explain the attention difficulties we often see in people with ADHD. To do this, we will investigate whether this brain region differs between adults with and adults without ADHD. We will ask adults with and without ADHD to lie in two MRI scanners whilst we take pictures of their brain. In one of the scanners, we will also measure arousal by recording participants pupil activity (changes in the size of the pupils in their eyes), electrodermal activity (measurement of the electrical conductivity of the skin) and heart rate as they carry out two attention tasks. This will allow us to see how arousal levels are related to attention and how these change during the scanning session.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NE/0157
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion